The present invention relates to a door glass assembly for automotive vehicles.
There have heretofore been provided door glass assemblies in which each of front, upper and rear end portions of a door glass is inserted into a corresponding channel-shaped door glass elevating and lowering guide groove formed in front, upper and rear door frames. The door glass is made movable up and down along the guide grooves using a well-known door glass elevating and lowering mechanism.
In such prior art assemblies, the door glass guide grooves are located at an offset position from an outer surface of a door outer panel which constitutes a part of a body outer surface and which is positioned at substantially the same level of the door body outer surface. Namely, the door glass guide grooves are located at a retracted position toward the passenger compartment. Further, the door glass is inserted into the grooves at its ends. Accordingly, with such a construction, the outer surface of the door glass is in assembly retracted to the offset position from the door body outer surface at all positions adjacent a perimeter of the door glass. Thus, a recess defined by the door glass outer surface must necessarily be provided.
The above-described recess degrades the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle and the aerodynamic characteristics thereof. In particular, a vehicle using this design running at a high speed encounters a high wind resistance. This leads to a high noise level and poor fuel economy as well as making the vehicle more difficult to handle.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to overcome the above noted defects, specifically, to substantially eliminate the above-described recess. Even more specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel door glass assembly wherein the outer surface of the door glass is substantially flush with the outer door frame at side and top positions of the door glass.